Iran and US remain far from war-ending deal, Iranian official says

An Iranian official stated that Iran and the US are far from an agreement to end their war, as Qatar mediates. Iran insists on conditions including lifting oil sanctions and ending the naval blockade. The US launched strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island targeting surface-to-air missiles.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States are stalling, as Tehran insists on its conditions and refuses to concede its demands related to the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions, while Washington continues to keep the military option open. A senior Iranian official said that Tehran and Washington are still far from reaching an understanding, explaining that mediators are working to narrow the gap of differences between the two sides, following a visit by a Qatari delegation to Tehran to discuss a draft agreement that has been under negotiation for eight days. The official stressed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is conditional on meeting Iranian demands, which include lifting sanctions on oil exports, ending the US naval blockade, and releasing frozen Iranian funds. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced that his country has submitted a response to Washington that he described as 'strong and rational', considering that the ball is now in the American court and that the responsibility for avoiding war lies with the United States. Ghalibaf warned that any American step he described as a strategic mistake could open a new front of confrontation. Meanwhile, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei considered the American response to Iranian demands unconvincing, calling on Washington to fully and explicitly address the seven Iranian conditions.